Chapter 3

Ms. Ormond had her men drag me to her family's private club. A charity gala was supposedly being held there that night.

Half of the capital's socialites and scions were in attendance. The moment I was dumped into the banquet hall, drenched in blood, all the camera lenses in the room swiveled toward me.

Ms. Ormond, on the other hand, had changed into a haute couture gown. Holding a flute of champagne, she smiled gracefully. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to someone. This is Lucia Sullivan, the woman Caspian houses in his villa. While surviving off the Blackwoods' wealth, she's been stealing confidential information from Blackwood Group and fooling around with other men!"

The crowd instantly erupted.

"So, that's her."

"She was so poor she couldn't even afford to eat. Does she really think becoming Caspian's mistress would make her a princess?"

"Ms. Ormond's the daughter-in-law the Blackwood family has chosen. Who does she think she is?"

The ones who ran their mouths the loudest were all daughters of wealthy families whose companies had previously been acquired by Caspian. Previously, whenever they saw me, they would practically go out of their way to avoid me.

However, now that Caspian wasn't around and Ms. Ormond was backing them up, every single one of them suddenly found their backbone.

I looked up at Ms. Ormond. "I'll explain myself one last time. I don't love Caspian, and I have no intention of competing with you for the position of the lady of the Blackwood family. He houses me because I'm important to him. If you want to marry him, you should be even more determined to keep me safe. The heavier my blood spills tonight, the faster your dream of marrying into the Blackwoods dies."

Ms. Ormond tightened her grip on her wineglass. "I see you're still putting on an act. You're just a woman who sells herself for money. What makes you think you can affect my marriage to him?"

After a moment's thought, I answered with brutal honesty, "Maybe because I'm worth more than your marriage."

The entire hall fell pin-drop silent.

Ms. Ormond's facade completely crumbled. She shot a look at a woman in a red gown, who instantly strutted over with a glass of wine. I recognized her; she was Bella Ricco.

Half a year ago, she was jealous because Caspian had spent 45 million dollars on me at an auction, so she secretly laced my coffee with laxatives. I only ended up with diarrhea for half a day. Caspian, on the other hand, was hospitalized for three whole days.

Right after he was discharged, he acquired the Ricco family's enterprise and shipped Bella off to their remote branch in Kharos. Who would have thought she'd actually sneak back here?

Bella seized my chin and forced the entire glass of liquor down my throat.

The alcohol went down my windpipe. My stomach felt as if it was being burned through by a raging fire, and the intense pain made me curl up into a ball.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day, Lucia. If it weren't for you, Mr. Blackwood wouldn't have destroyed my family!"

I forced my head up. "You're the one who spiked my coffee. What, do you blame gravity when you take a shit?"

Bella was furious and humiliated. She grabbed a second glass of liquor. "You've got a pretty big mouth for someone in your position!"

The moment the glass touched my lips, Peter was hauled into the banquet hall. His arm was wrapped in heavy bandages, and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

"Hold it right there! Mr. Blackwood has suspended his negotiations abroad and is on his way back! Ms. Ormond, your father has called more than a dozen times just now, asking you to let her go this instant!"

Ms. Ormond's phone also started ringing incessantly at that moment. She took one look at the caller ID and promptly declined the call. "My father's such a coward. Once I expose this fraud, Caspian will thank me!"

Peter's voice trembled. "Mr. Blackwood won't thank you. He'll wipe your family off the map!"

Bella hurriedly leaned close to Ms. Ormond's ear. "Don't listen to him. No matter how influential Mr. Blackwood is, he isn't going to burn bridges with your family for a gold digger. Once her reputation is completely ruined, do you really think he'd still marry her?"

Ms. Ormond's smile returned. She ordered her men to drag me to the center of the stage and yank the black cloth off the transparent tank. It was filled to the brim with ice water and crushed ice.

"Didn't she claim she was more important than my marriage? In that case, let's see whether Caspian will really give up my family for her after she freezes to death here!"

Peter completely lost it. "If she dies, Mr. Blackwood's done for, too!"

Ms. Ormond's gaze instantly darkened. "I can't believe you'd spew such nonsense to protect her."

She raised her hand. "Dump her in!"